(CNN) – A week after proposing his economic recovery plan, Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul said Sunday that the true unemployment rate in the United States is higher than the 9.1% estimated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"I think the downturn in the economy occurred in the year 2000," Paul told CNN, adding that there have been no new jobs since then "and yet we've had a 30 million increase in population."FULL POST

(CNN) - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell disagreed Sunday with Vice President Joe Biden’s hypothesis that the 2012 election will be a choice between Democrats and Republicans, and instead labeled it a “referendum” on President Barack Obama.

"The vice president said this election will be a choice. It will be a referendum, a referendum on the president and his performance," McConnell said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." "Their policies are in place and they are demonstrably not working."FULL POST

Republicans in the state had widely expected the New Hampshire Republican wise man to support Romney. His endorsement is highly prized and provides another sign the GOP establishment is backing Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, in the race for the presidential nomination. Sununu, who served as chief of staff to George H.W. Bush, will also serve as chairman of Gov. Romney's national steering committee, the campaign said.FULL POST

(CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden said he was not making a political or ideological point when he suggested earlier in the week that rapes and other crimes would increase if Republicans block a measure aimed at preserving police jobs.

"They either are going to figure out how to help those cities the way we want to help them, or some other way. But if they don't get help, crime is going to continue to go up. It's that simple," Biden said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." "It's not an ideological point, it's not a political point, it's just a physical reality."FULL POST

(CNN)-It's early, and State of the Union is bringing you the best of the morning headlines to go with your cup of coffee.

Check out what we're reading, then join us at 9am/12pm ET for three Washington power players: Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann stressed her social conservatism to a large gathering of evangelicals in Iowa, where she has fallen from high poll positions.

Bachmann keyed in on issues of interest to the roughly 1,000 people at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition in Des Moines on Saturday.FULL POST